The Warden, who had suddenly awakened from his dust-sealed state, left everyone at the scene utterly astonished. Lily's berserkers were howling in a chorus, but Hao Ren alone seemed to have expected it. He looked up at the first "colossus" to awaken, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "Looks like you've already broken free of the restraints of Chaos power."
The twenty-one Wardens gradually awakened, gravel and dust sliding constantly from their bodies. These giants forged from rock and steel clanked with every movement, while the first to awaken, a dignified colossus, lowered his head and looked at Hao Ren. "A sacred power dispelled the shadows in our souls. We saw your battle through the haze. Though we do not know who you are, you drove back those Annihilators..."
The colossus spoke very slowly, his voice carrying a deep rumble. His long slumber had apparently left him in an extremely weakened state, but Hao Ren could sense powerful energy rapidly regenerating within him. Clearly, these ancient warriors possessed astonishing recovery abilities.
Hao Ren nodded slightly, roughly guessing why the other side had broken free of Lockmadon's control and awakened from its slumber.
He had Lavinia to thank. That fanatical Annihilation Cultist had intended to release Lockmadon, but by a twist of fate, she had activated the divine artifact disc she had stolen from Hao Ren. The disc's energy was incompatible with the Ark of the Covenant, but its purifying effect on Chaos energy was identical to the Creation Goddess's divine power. When the divine power poured from the disc and erupted outward, it sensed the conflicting energies within the twenty-one Wardens. It then surged into the bodies of those demigods!
The final result would clearly have the Annihilation Cultists cursing, but to everyone else, it was an unexpected piece